A balanced diet with pork for older people

Wikispanishfood Editorial Team

Senior citizens share certain characteristics and peculiarities that should be taken into consideration when promoting healthy habits. A healthy diet and exercise are important for this demographic. Accordingly, lean cuts of pork and other meat products are a key part of their diet due to their nutritional characteristics.

Pork from white pigs is available is a wide variety of cuts and products which adapt to consumers' varying physiological and pathological situations as well as to the nutritional requirements of different age groups.In older people, the protein found in pork helps preserve muscle mass and maintain bones in normal conditions. Moreover, sometimes people in that demographic don't eat enough important nutrients, such as zinc and vitamin B6; this situation can be remedied by including pork as part of a balanced diet.

As with proteins, zinc helps maintain bones under normal conditions, protect cells from oxidative stress, and preserve vision. Vitamin B6 helps reduce tiredness and fatigue and is required for normal nervous system function. Pork from white pigs is also low in fat, which makes it an interesting candidate for inclusion in this demographic's diet. Lean cuts of pork, such as loin, have just 2.65 grams of fat for every 100 grams, i.e. less than in a chicken drumstick (2.8 grams in every 100 grams). Moreover, close to 70% of pork fat is subcutaneous, with the result that it can be easily eliminated.

Since it's a product with notable culinary versatility, it can be included in myriad recipes and adapted accordingly. Senior citizens must include foods in their diet which provide them with the nutrients they need and which are also easy to chew and digest. Pork from white pigs is ideal because of its protein and mineral profile as well as its many culinary possibilities.